February5, 2013

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel (NY-16), the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released this statement in response to the report issued by the Bulgarian government that blames Hezbollah for the terrorist attack in Burgas, Bulgaria last summer that killed five Israeli tourists and one Bulgarian citizen. The statement follows:

“The Bulgarian government’s report convincingly links Hezbollah to the murder of innocent Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian citizen in Burgas last July. The Bulgarian government and its leaders deserve praise for thoroughly investigating this terrorist attack and for their courage in implicating Hezbollah. The targeting of innocents cannot be tolerated by any European Union state and must be condemned forcefully and unanimously by all member nations. The time is now for the EU to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and punish these murderers.”